The Rule
by Angel Leviathan
Summary: It’s the rule. You know the rule. There are no exceptions to the rule.


**Title:** The Rule

**Author:** Angel Leviathan

**Spoilers:** None. Except Jack is in it.

**Disclaimer:** Doctor Who, characters, concept, etc, aren't mine.

**Notes:** Just a thank you to members of the Time and Chips LJ Comm for their lovely comments on 'Open Soulmates, Silent Lovers'. Other than that, I apologise for any mistakes in this!

* * *

When he first heard of the rule, the three of them were so drunk he was sure she was joking. Or at least that she would forget. It next appeared a week later when she was attempting to make an edible breakfast, Jack watching in fascinated glee, waiting for her to mess up. The Doctor leant against the counter along the back wall, content to watch the two bicker and taunt each other, smiling faintly at the look of complete concentration on Rose's face each time she looked back to the frying pan. 

"Flame's too high…" Jack commented, "Too much oil…"

Rose threatened him with the spatula, "You wanna eat? Shut it. Or you cook."

"I don't cook, I order," he ruffled her hair.

"So says the Chinese…or whatever it was…take-away still sittin' on the TARDIS console…" she looked back over her shoulder, "Any requests?"

The question was clearly directed at him, "…There's take-away on the TARDIS console?" the Doctor frowned. He pointed at Jack, "It better be gone, sharpish."

He threw him a mock salute and sat down at the kitchen table, "Yes, Sir."

"Well?" Rose asked, "Gonna risk it?" she nodded toward the frying pan.

The Doctor wandered across the room to stand beside her, "We going for charcoal or barely recognisable this time?"

The start of a hastily muffled laugh was heard from Jack, meaning she didn't know who to harm first.

"Oi, you two, cut it out! At least I'm tryin'!" she exclaimed.

"Very," the Doctor smirked.

Rose opted to be silent and just to glower up at him, pretending deep thought on the subject of the crisping food items in the frying pan. She shifted them around a bit, deciding at the same time that the contents were already a lost cause, and looked back up, expecting to see a triumphant grin or hear a sarcasm soaked comment from Jack. She was a little taken aback to see the Doctor smiling fondly down at her. Rose shot him a half grin, "What?"

He abruptly stopped, "Nothin'. Just thinking."

"Thinkin' what?" she pressed.

"Nothin'," he shrugged and turned to pull out a seat from under the kitchen table.

"Hey, you know the rule, you can't say that and wander off," she grimaced as one of the pieces of bacon shrivelled and blackened further. Definitely going for unrecognisable.

"What rule?" the Doctor feigned innocence.

"Aint gonna work…" Jack warned him.

"You know, you can't say things like 'I was just thinkin'…nah…' and not finish. Or say 'I can't believe I just thought that' and not tell us. It's the rule. You know the rule. There are no exceptions to the rule," she punctuated her remarks by flicking the spatula, sending oil flying all over the kitchen.

Jack grimaced and ran his hands through his hair, "Thanks, babe."

"Anytime," she took a bow and turned back to the culinary disaster at hand, "So, out with it. What were you thinkin'?"

"Well, it involved scantily clad-"

"Not you!" Rose quickly interrupted.

"Damn."

"You," she insisted, "Doctor. Master of time and space. Get on with it."

The Doctor folded his arms and remained silent.

"Come on!"

"Nope," he grinned.

"There'll be penalties…" Jack warned.

He glared at the younger man, "There will?"

"Hadn't thought of that…" Rose mused.

"There will!" Jack nodded, smirking.

The Doctor refused to appear flustered, but he certainly wasn't going to tell them. Especially her. Or say it wasn't the first time he'd thought about. He stood and waved a silent goodbye, making his escape.

"Hey! Cheating! No! Get back here!" she shouted, "Doctor! Doctor! Oh you're gonna pay for this!"

"Nah, that'll be Jack, he's eating your cooking!" he shouted back down the corridor.

"Oi!"

Jack glanced back at her, "…What you gonna do?"

She clenched her jaw, "I dunno. Yet. But I'll find out. You wait."

* * *

The Doctor was rather disturbed when he heard shuffling in the darkness of his room at some awful hour of the morning. He'd been barely asleep for under half an hour and still refused to jump when a figure leapt up onto his bed, moving as if to pin him, hands on his shoulders, and peered down at him. 

"What were you thinkin'?" the voice of Rose demanded.

He refused to react and slowly reached out to switch his bedside lamp on, "Gave me a heart attack, you did," he accused.

"You've got a spare," she dismissed the idea, "What were you thinkin'?" she repeated.

"I could be half dead, thank you!"

"You're not," Rose clambered on top of him, resting her head on his chest, "What were you thinkin'?" she relaxed completely and decided against moving.

He would've tried an 'honest' face, were he not thinking about it at that very moment.

"Is the world gonna end if you tell me?"

"It might," the Doctor mumbled.

"I'm enforcing the rule. Its for your own good."

"Oh really?"

"Really," she planted her hands back on his shoulders so she could look down on him again, "Well?"

He sighed, "…Do you a deal."

"Right," she nodded.

"I wont tell you. I'll show you."

"Okay," Rose started to move away from him, expecting to be going somewhere. She certainly didn't expect for him to prevent her moving further by kissing her, almost nervously, and she registered, with some regret, his lips left hers far too quickly. She blinked several times before she could form a coherent sentence, "…That's what you were thinkin'?"

"Yep."

"Oh…" she stared back at him.

The Doctor attempted to hide the hurt in his eyes, "Not what you wanted to know?"

"…No…I mean…I, er…I think…" studying him, Rose was rather unnerved by just how vulnerable he seemed at that moment…and by how much it hurt her. The urge to make it go away, to bring him back to her, became unbearable. If she was honest…hadn't she spent time thinking about exactly the same thing? Just pushed it to the back of her mind and smiled, placed her hand in his and laughed like always. There were times when he had looked at her…really _looked_ at her, and she thought that he might have the same rush of desire, know she felt the need to be more than the best of friends, the need to share his bed and not just his heart. She closed the distance between them and kissed him with increasing passion, scared he might turn her away, but found nothing but the same overwhelming emotion in return. Rose broke away, breathless, "…Don't tell me what you think…or even what you feel…show me…"

He gathered her back to him.

Then he turned off the light.

**Fin**


End file.
